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TYPE WRITING MACHINE- No. 510,985. Patented Dec. 19, 1893.

- (U ITED STATES PATENT MORTIMER G. MERRITT, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MERRITT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,985, dated December 19, 1893.

Application filed February 10, 1893. Serial No. 461.754 (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may conccrn: To these ends the invention consists in the Be it known that I. MORTIMER G.'MERRITT, constructions and combinations of parts all a citizen of the United States, residing at substantially as will hereinafter fully appear Springfield, in the county of Hampden and and beset forth in the claims. 55 State of Massachusetts, have invented new Reference is to be had to the accompanying and useful Improvements in Type -Writing drawings in which Machines, of which the following is a speci- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carfication. riage, the platen support or frame, the platen,

This invention, for improvements in typeand the present novel devices applied in re- 60 writing machines, particularly relates to delation thereto. Fig. 2 is a view taken at the vlces coacting with the platen and its supright hand end,showing the platen-frame and P platen and the parts for attaining the first One object of the invention is to provide denamed object of the invention, applied therevicesforthemachine in whichapaper-supplyto. Fig. 3 is in part a section and in part 65 roll, comprising successive telegraph blanks, an elevation for clearly showing the catch deor bill or letter heads, may be employed, and vice for the platen. Fig. l is a vertical sec 111 which one, or any multiple of one, rotation tional view through the extremity of one of of the platen will cause afeed of the paper the arms on which the paper-supply-roll is equal to the distance between the proper sevhung. Fig. 5 is a view in detail illustrating 7c ering line of one blank and the severing line a slight modification. Fig. 6 is a view illusot' the next-,so that each complete rotation trating a notched formation at the end of the of the platen may be readily determined by platen, hereinafter referred to. the operator, enabling hiin to tear 0d the for- In the drawings, A represents the carriage wardly fed, and then typewritten blank, at which is movable along the front and rear 75 the proper placejust in advance of theprinted slide-rails, a and b, in the manner usual in heading of the next blank. Asevering device typewriting machines. The engagement ben this class of machines may usually consist tween the carriage, A, and its rear slide sup- 1n the serrated plate or a blade on the platen port, a, is such that the carriage may be upsupport just in front of the platen An adwardly and rearwardly swung, as usual. 80 o vantageous resultincidental to themechanism B represents the frame, or support, in

consists in such a checking of the movement which the platen, C, is mounted for its rotaof. the platen imparted by the platen-rotating tion. This frame has a pivotal engagement mechanisrmas to prevent anyby-throw of the at each end through the stud, cl, with the platen which would cause too wide or irreguhooked 01' socketed part, f, at each end of the 8 5 3 5 lar line-spacing; and another result consists carriage, all as is common in the well-known in the indication by the position of certain Densmore typewriting machine; and thus, notches on the platen, of the proper position again, the carriage, with the platen, may be of the blank relative to the typewriting imrearwardly and upwardly swung, or the pact line at the under side of the platen to platen-frame may be swung on the connec- 0 c enable the operator to determine that he is tion at d, f, independently of the carriage.

imprinting upon the open space of the blank D represents a catch for uniting the carand not upon the printed heading. riage and platen so that while said catch re- Another object of the, invention is to so mains in its uniting engagement between said support the platen on the carriage that the parts, when the platen-frame is then swung 5 platen maybe swung up to show the last line the carriage must also be swung in unison oi'lines of typewriting without upswinging the therewith. This catch device, as shown, concarriage, and so that, at will, the act of upsists of an angular lever pivoted, at its elbow, swinging the platen will also swing up the on the platen-frame and having its dependcarriage, as may be desirable for gaining acing arm,l, hooked to engage asuitably formed I00 cessto the type for cleansing them or for other part of the forward member, g, of the carpurposes. riage. The forwardly extended arm, h, of

the lever projects above the rigid forward extension, 1', of the platen-frame, and the spr1ng, 7, is applied to maintain the engagement between the catch-lever and carriage. The operator, on desiring to merely swing up the platen and its frame, grasps, as manilestly most natural, both the projection, 11, and 3111],], between the thumb and finger, effecting the release of the catch; on desiring to swing up the carriage a lifting force is only imparted to the projection, 2'. The platen has at its end the regular series of ratchet-teeth, It), with which the impelling pawl, 12,carr1ed on the pawl-carrier, 13,has engagement. The pawl-carrier is actuated by the lever, 14, which is pivoted on the platenframe, and the pawl, pawl-carrier, and lever, 12, 13, and 14, are all retracted by the spring 15. Other platen rotating devices may, of course, be substituted.

Referring now to the platen engaging device, 1t will be perceived that the platen has at its end, oron apart which is secured thereto at its end, a formation to constitute a catchengagementportion, and which, as shown, consists of a deep notch, m; a pawl, 91, which, as shown, is in the form of a lever pivoted on a rear proximate portion of the platen-frame and formed with a nose, a, normally bears peripherally on the circular portion of, or attached to, the platen which has the aforesaid deep-notch. Each time the platen is completely rotated by the lever and pawl mech anlsm described, the pawl-lever, n, will swing into a somewhat forcible engagement within the sari notch, as im pelled by the pawl-sprin g, 0. Now the amount of force habitually applied on the lever, 14, for line spacing, will be insufficient to effect the further rotation of the platen, and the operator will become aware that the blank has been fed sufficiently far to be severed across the serrated blade, 00, should he not have already become so warned, by the clicking of the pawl, n, into the deep-notch. The continued rotation of the platen may be insured for bringing forward the next blank by givinga more forcibleimpetus to the lever, 14, when the inclined edge of the deep notch will force itself past the nose of the impeding pawl, n, causing the latter to resume its position of rest upon the periphery of the circular part, within which the notch is formed. The catch devices last referred to need not necessarily consist of a notch in the circular part of or for the platen, as in lieu thereof the projection, m may be provided, as seen in Fig. 5, with which a depression in the pawl-lever may come to engagement. This reversal, or inversion, is merely an obvious mechanical substitute for the device for the same purpose, described in connection with Fig. 3. The pawl, 12, has the stud, p, thereon, with which may engage the cam-inclined end of the lever, g, which lever is pivoted on the arm, t, of the platen-frame. By swinging this lever, q, for wardly, the pawl is forced and maintained out of operative engagement with the end of the platen, as desirable for ordinary use of the typewriting machine, thatis, when no particular heed need be paid to the feed across the platen of the paper.

On the part at the end of the platen which has the catch engagement portion, m, there are shallow notches, a, u, corresponding 1n separation to the distance between the ratchetnotches, 10, 10, and with which the nose of the pawl, 91, may have a clicking engagement. These notches, t6, u, are comprised in. a 011'- cumferential portion of the circular part borne upon by the pawl, a, proportionate to the whole of such circumference as the open space of the blank, on which the typewriting may be imprinted, is to the length of the blank, and the length of the blank usually corresponds to the distance which the platen will feed the paper on one complete rotation thereof.

Having once properly entered the paper between the usual spring-fingers and the platen, and brought the end of the paper to coincidence with the severing blade, with the printed heading toward the latter, the operator may now be aware that while running the machine so long as any of the notches, a, are in sight in advance of the pawl, 92, he is imprinting on the blank witlr in the proper space below the heading; either on the date line or therebelow. The nose of the pawl also takes into these notches as the paper is forwardly fed to prevent bythrow of the platen in case oftoo impetuous swinging of the lever, 14. Should the operator finish the message, &c., more or less above the place for the last line on the blank, and

draw the paper forward by grasping it withthe fingers, he may continue to so draw the paper until it has been brought with its severing line to the severing blade, at which time the pawl, 02, entering the deep notch,m, will cause a resistance to the further rotation of the platen greater than may be overcome by any draft tension which maybe withstood by the paper without its tearing.

It is understood that the roll of paper is upon a core, and that the latter is centered on the conical extremities of the studs which are supported in axial alignment by the arms, 25, w, of the platen-frame. One of the centering studs, as seen in Fig. 4, is movable against an inclosed spring for the engagement or disengagement of the roll from its support.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of the roller platen with a platen-support, and a support for a paper-supply-roll, and a device for rotating the platen, and a catch, supported adjacent the platen, to automatically engage and impede the platen on each complete rotation thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of the roller platen having its end por A V l I with" supported relative to the platen catch for throwing the latter into an inoperative position, substantially as described.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen support and platen rotatably mounted thereon having a notch formed in its peripheral portion near its end, and a device for rotating the platen, of a springforced lever pivoted adjacent the peripheral end portion of the platen and having a nose or tooth to bear thereagainst and on each complete rotation of the platen to enter the aforesaid notch, substantially as described.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination with the platen having the catchportion, and the ratchet teeth, of the platen-frame having the arms, 25, w, at its ends, between which the paper-supp1y-roll is hung and the severing plate or blade at the front of the platen support, the catch lever pivoted to one of the said arms and having the spring, 0, applied thereto and the pawl device for rotating the platen, substantially as described.

5. In a typewrit-ing machine, the combination with the roller platen having ratchetteeth or notches and having a circular portion provided, through a portion only 0tv its peripheral extent, with a series of slight depressions at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the aforesaid ratchet-notches and having the deep notches, m, of a platen support, a support for. a paper roll, and an actuating pawl for engaging the notches of the platen, and the pawl, n, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with the carriage and the support on which it slides and relative to which it has its upswinging movement, of the platenfranie pivotally engaged with the carriage for its tip-swinging movement relative thereto, and independently thereof, and having the arm or projection, c', the elbow-lever pivoted on the platen-frame having the hooked arm, l, to engage the carriage, and the arm, h, extended forwardly over the said projection of the frame, and a spring, 7', for the elbow-lever, all substantially as described.

7. In a typewriting machine the combination with a roller platen, and a platen catch device, to automatically engage and impede the platen on each complete rotation thereof of a shift device for throwing the platen catch into an inoperative position, substantially as described.

8. Ina machine designed for typewriting on printed blanks, a severing device near the platen, and the platen having indications thereon arranged in such a fractional part of the open space on the blank to be used in the machine bears to the normal length of the blank, substantially as described.

MORTIMERG. MERRITT. "Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLOWS, K. 1. Citations.

a circle as corresponds to the fraction which 

